Key Facts & Information

Overview

Have you watched "The Transformers" cartoon series or seen the "Transformers" movies? Both shows are about how good and evil robots fight each other and the humans who get in the middle. Many TV shows and movies show robots and humans interacting with each other. While this is, at present, fantasy, in real life robots play a helpful role. Robots do jobs that can be dangerous for humans. For example, some robots defuse landmines in war-stricken countries; others work in harsh environments like the bottom of the ocean and on the planet Mars. At the heart of every robot is a robotics engineer who thinks about what a robot needs to do and works with several engineering disciplines to design and put together the perfect piece of equipment.

Training, Other Qualifications

The robotics-engineering industry is a broad and changing field of study. To keep their knowledge and skills up to date, robotics engineers will need to read research and trade journals, attend professional seminars and conferences, and work with colleagues on cutting-edge research.

New robotics engineers often begin their careers as assistants or junior engineers at a robotics firm, under the supervision of an established colleague.

Education and Training

A bachelor's degree in engineering or a related field is required for most entry-level positions in robotics engineering. Because robotics technology draws on the expertise of many different engineering disciplines, engineers who specialize in robotics often have degrees in mechanical, manufacturing, electrical, electronic, or industrial engineering. Some colleges and universities now offer robotics engineering degrees. Robotics courses typically include training in hydraulics and pneumatics, CADD/CAM systems, numerically controlled systems, microprocessors, integrated systems, and logic. It usually takes four to five years to earn a bachelor's degree in engineering. Some colleges offer work-study programs in which students receive on-the-job training while still in school. Most universities that offer robotics courses have well-equipped labs with lasers and CADD/CAM equipment.

For some positions, and to advance in the field, you need a master's degree or PhD. A PhD is required to teach in this field as well as for most high-level research positions. A master's degree requires one to two years of additional schooling, while a PhD takes three to five additional years in school.

Nature of the Work

In this video robotics engineer Ayanna Howard discusses how she makes robots smart enough to work on Mars.

Robotics is a rapidly growing field that has applications in diverse industries. A robotics engineer designs robots, maintains robots, develops new applications for robots, and conducts research to expand the potential for robots. Robots can be used in a variety of industries, including manufacturing, agriculture, aerospace, mining, and medicine. Robots are used to perform tasks too dangerous or dirty for humans to perform. Robotics engineers use computer-aided design and drafting (CADD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) systems to perform their tasks. Robotics research engineers design robotic systems and research methods to manufacture them economically. Robotics engineers who work for robot manufacturers are sometimes called robotics test engineers or automation system engineers. These engineers apply the robotic system to a particular use on a manufacturing assembly line. They also create an integrated environment between people and machinery. Leaders in this field work on creating experimental mobile robots for space research (like the Mars rovers) and medical uses.

Robotics engineers must be familiar with logic, microprocessors, and computer programming so that they can design the right robot for each application. They must also prepare specifications for the robot's capabilities as they relate to the work environment. In addition, robotics engineers are responsible for developing cost proposals, efficiency studies, and quality-control reports.

Most robotics engineers are employed by private robot manufacturers or robot users. Some engineers work in military and space programs. Others work for colleges and universities or vocational and trade schools.

Work Environment

Most robotics engineers go to work in offices, manufacturing plants, or laboratories. Manufacturing plants maybe noisy, depending on the industry. They may also work on a factory floor where they monitor or solve on-site problems. Many robotics engineers work a standard 40-hour week. At times, deadlines or design standards may bring extra pressure to a job, requiring engineers to work longer hours.

Design software to control robotic systems for applications such as military defense and manufacturing.

Design automated robotic systems to increase production volume and precision in high-throughput operations, such as automated ribonucleic acid (RNA) analysis; or sorting, moving, and stacking production materials.

Analyze and evaluate robotic systems or prototypes.

Automate assays on laboratory robotics.

Conduct research into the feasibility, design, operation, or performance of robotic mechanisms, components, or systems such as planetary rovers, multiple mobile robots, reconfigurable robots, and man-machine interactions.

Conduct research on robotic technology to create new robotic systems or system capabilities.

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